It’s about an hour from Berkeley, California, to Daly City, a modest estimate considering the state’s notorious traffic. It’s not a daily commute for Kaithleen Apostol, though it’s become biweekly.
For Filipino supergrocer Seafood City’s Late Night Madness events, she says, it’s worth it.
Having initially attended to mark October’s Filipino American History Month kickoff, Apostol, 28, has since gone three more times with her boyfriend and friends. She’s even brought her mom, who agreed a DJ in a Filipino grocery store wasn’t necessarily surprising. “Any gathering can turn into a party,” Apostol says of her heritage. “There’s any and no excuse necessary.”
Cash registers give way to turntables, otherwise the store’s format remains untouched. The vibe is lively and buzzy, complete with a street food-inspired menu in the grocery’s grab-and-go sections. People dance—and dance while shopping.
But this isn’t like Whole Foods playing its music louder after a certain hour on weekends. (Whether or not they admit it, we suspect it’s true.) The club scene at Seafood City is a genuine, music-based community leveraging its social currency to commemorate culture everywhere it grows. And it’s an example of the latest trend that turns the neighborhood grocery, corner store, and coffee shop into a city’s hottest club, no matter the time of day.
The growth in popularity of these events is fueled by a generational shift in socializing, an embrace of sober nightlife alternatives, and community building through culture sharing.
Apostol can’t remember the last time she heard budots, a form of electronic dance music originated in Davao City, Phillipines, in public.
“It feels like a big family party from back home,” Apostol says of Seafood City’s Late Night Madness, compared to traditional nightclubs or a grimy bar. “There would be moments where you’re eating a tray full of lechon, then look over and see people line-dancing together. I’ve run into my second cousin, who I haven’t seen in 10 years, and my high school econ teacher. It’s crazy.”
For featured DJ JP Breganza, that’s the point. He’d been making a name for himself with sets in unique places like the Bay Area Cliffs or at a driving range when an Instagram user commented that he should “do this at Seafood City.” Luckily, he says his idea coincided with the launch of the grocer’s first night markets. Breganza was directly tapped by its marketing team to play Daly City. Later markets for Filipino American History Month and more have been co-organized with local nonprofit, SF Kollective.
